Vadid and Lothiag
Two great armies met on the grassy plains to do battle. One flew glorious banners of blue and white and twinkled in the sunlight. The other raised frightening standards of red and black and moved like a wave of darkness across the ground. They were massive, they were powerful, and they were equal. The ground trembled as they fought and the sky cried for the dead. Then, from the red side, a great champion emerged. A ten-foot-tall giant Demon by the name of Lothiag tore into the blue side so forcefully that they were forced to give ground to their opponents. His roars and bellows made his enemies drop their weapons in fear, his claws and teeth tore through armor and flesh, and his powerful magics obliterated any who stood before him. At nightfall, the two armies called a ceasefire to lick their wounds and clear the battlefield of the bodies. Despite the many casualties suffered on each side, the armies actually swelled to even greater sizes as more soldiers from all across Gielinor joined the titanic effort to capture the empty, now desolate fields. When the sun rose, so did the great demon Lothiag. Bearing only the blood of his enemies over his skin, he marched to the center of the field and bellowed his challenge. He dared any of the blue army to take up arms against him in a battle of champions. He declared that if any were to best him, then the red army would surrender then and there. But if he were to win, the blue army was to lay down their arms and return to their farms. The king of the blue forces, face struck with grief for the dead, sent word out to his soldiers that any of great skill and courage was encouraged to accept the challenge. None came forward. When the sun reached its apex in the sky, the horns of the red army echoed across the field and the wave of darkness surged forward. The battle resumed for the rest of the bloody afternoon until nightfall when the armies, battered and exhausted, once again retreated to their tents. Then next morning Lothiag stepped forth to repeat his challenge. Still, none were brave enough to challenge him. The armies met, the armies slept, the demon roared. This tireless cycle continued for thirty-eight more days. The armies were locked in an endless stalemate that threatened to consume the lives of every warrior present, red and blue. The grand causes that brought both armies here threatened to be extinguished by the senseless slaughter, yet neither army could bear to retreat and lose this critical ground. The king of the blue forces desperately called to his forces for just one man to challenge the demon. Finally, someone stepped forward. ---- The king, sitting on a crude chair as if it were a throne, looked down at the boy with a combination of dismay and amusement. The weary, ravaged king, though desperate for someone to take up the challenge, saw the boy’s acceptance as laughable at best. The boy simply stared the king down with fierce eyes until he was forced to speak. “Why doth thou step forth when thy elders cower?” “I have no fear of Lothiag. I have received the protection of Saradomin. I shall accept the challenge and slay this demon.” “You are but a child, Vadid, and naught more. Your brothers have met their deaths already. Still thou dost not know fear?” “I have received the protection of Saradomin. Nothing shall do harm to me.” “Why doth-“ In the distance, the Demon roared out his challenge. The thundering voice rattled the armor of the guards in the king's tent and caused the chair itself to topple. All of them went pale with uncontrollable, primal fear. Only the boy remained unmoved. “My King, garb me with a blade fit for my size and I shall return with thy enemy’s head. Thy army shall break here if you refuse to allow me to accept the challenge.” The king sighed loudly, knowing he had no other choice, and ordered a man to fetch the boy a blade. “Go forth now, Vadid, and challenge the great demon. May Saradomin keep you safe, brave warrior.” The boy saluted his king, received his weapon, and departed from the king’s tent. ---- The demon, disgustingly garbed in blood and gore, quieted his roars as he spotted Vadid walking silently yet unswervingly toward him. The demon was a mass of muscles and spikes, horns and talons. Two great black wings and a vicious tail sprouting from his back. The demon’s maw was wide open, revealing rows upon rows of deadly sharp teeth. Despite this, it was his glowing yellow eyes, promising pain far beyond death, that drew in the eye. Soldiers from both sides stepped forward to form a circle around the spectacle. Both sides created a cacophony of sounds as they rattled and argued, trying to decide whether the boy was there to challenge the demon or if he was there for some other purpose. Lothiag’s clawed hands and feet flexed and his neck muscles tensed as he looked down at the boy, who stopped ten feet before the giant. A bright yellow tongue slithered out from between his spike-like teeth for a moment, licking his lips, before he spoke in a voice that quieted even the most courageous spectator. “WHO ARE YOU? BE THOU THE CHAMPION OF SARADOMIN, SENT TO TOPPLE ME?” The boy drew out his short sword and calmly held it down at his side. With his left hand, he pointed at the demon's face, hovering five feet above his own. “I am thy challenger, demon. I have come to slay thee and put an end to this battle.” “SARADOMIN SENDS A BOY TO BATTLE ME? A GREAT JEST THIS IS! VERY WELL, CHILD, I SHALL SLAY THEE AND CLAIM VICTORY ON THIS FIELD FOR LORD ZAMORAK! PREPARE TO MEET THE VOID, BOY!” The demon roared and charged, covering the gap between him and the boy in less than a second. The demon leapt into the air, intending to pile-drive the weakling into dust. Vadid made no move to defend himself, but instead called out in a clear voice. “Saradomin, protect me from his fists!” The demon's body flew through the air toward the boy, but it suddenly stopped right before hitting him. The demon recoiled, his terrible visage reflecting his surprise and outrage. His fist, the bones of his last opponent still clinging to the talons, punched forward in a devastating right jab. It, too, stopped short as if smashing against a giant wall. The demon stepped back, amazement showing clearly on the face that knew no fear. “WHAT SORCERY IS THIS? MY FISTS FAIL ME. VERY WELL, PERHAPS THOU WISHETH TO ENGAGE IN A BATTLE OF MAGIC?” The demon held out his palm and from it burst a massive wave of fire. It snaked towards the boy, looking for all the world as if it were a great and fearsome flaming dragon. The heat from the inferno caused the spectators to step away and cower behind those in front of them. The boy did not move, but instead again called out in his clear voice. “Saradomin, protect me from the fires of his magic!” The fire stopped just before reaching the boy, roaring in frustration until the magical hellfire winked out of existence. Lothiag’s giant jaw dropped at the sight, flabbergasted that one so small was somehow defending against his unbeatable attacks, and with no visible effort! Vadid walked toward the demon calmly, his expression one of grim purpose. The demon’s eyes bulged and he launched wave after wave of unstoppable fire at the indomitable boy. His attacks were to no avail. The boy reached the demon’s feet and Lothiag instinctively kicked at the boy with a giant, clawed foot. Vadid repeated his request for Saradomin's protection against the demon's brute force and the demon once again found that his foot stopped right before it would connect and tear apart the puny human. Vadid jumped forward and thrust his blade into the knee of the great demon, piercing it right through to the bone. Greenish blood poured from the wound as the Lothiag toppled sideways to the ground, his fall sending great cracks spiderwebbing across the ground. The boy walked calmly to the demon's head. The demon's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as the mouth opened and closed, pathetically unable to even to speak at the hour of his demise. Vadid lifted his blade up high and in one smooth motion severed the demon's head from its body. With the blue army cheering and the red army in hushed silence, he grabbed one of the demon's great black horns and drug the head to the feet of the blue army's king. The king stood for a moment in silence, regarding the small hero. Then he removed his great white cape, bearing the holy Saradomin's symbol, and presented it to the boy as a symbol of his great victory. Category:Short Stories